Understanding Resident Concerns when Painting Healthcare and Senior Living Communities

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Concerns to Consider While Painting A Senior Living Community

There are currently about 1 million seniors residing in residential communities nationwide and this number is expected to rise significantly over time. Many healthcare and senior living providers are looking to expand and upgrade their operations in order to cater to the growing needs of their residents.

Painting is one of the key maintenance and expansion areas for these communities. However, painting a healthcare or senior residential living structure requires careful consideration of the safety and unique needs of the residents. Painting with the wrong contractor can expose residents to harmful fumes, poor air quality, disruptions in their daily routines and an unexpected change in environment.

When planning a painting project for healthcare communities, it is important to address critical concerns of the residents and their families in order for the project to proceed smoothly. Critical resident concerns include the following:

Health concerns

Managers of senior living communities need to understand the potential risks that a painting project can have to their residents. The population of residents who are particularly sensitive to paint fumes (due to asthma or other breathing complications) should be identified and informed of the project in advance. The health complications of all residents should be adequately considered so that the project causes minimum inconvenience to them.

If necessary, accommodations for residents should be made, such as temporarily moving them to a different section of the building. Even if it is only the stress of the activities happening around them, it’s always better to take extra precautions to ensure healthy and happy residents.

Disruption of daily routines

The painting project should be done in a manner that minimizes disruptions to the daily routines of residents. Working on holidays, evenings and weekends may help to minimize the inconveniences that residents have to endure during the project. Some residents may be sensitive to abrupt routine changes in their environment, and their concerns should be considered when determining working hours for the project.

Ventilation concerns

Residents may be concerned about the spread of paint fumes through rooms with shared ventilation systems. Such rooms need to be sealed off by blocking vents and wall gaps in order to curb the spread of potentially harmful fumes.

When considering paint for your senior living community or healthcare building, you should always give preference to low-VOC and no-VOC paints. These paints are developed with a healthier and safe environment in mind and are a great solution to odors.

Choice of color

Many residents in healthcare and senior living communities have been shown to have their mood affected by the color choices in their premises. The right color choice can create a delightful, pleasing and uplifting mood among patients, which is key to their health. Residents and their families could even be consulted when selecting patient room colors for a painting project, and their input should be considered.